1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of cleaning of manufactured parts, and more particularly to an insonified liquid for cleaning objects formed from ceramic, especially those objects used in hard disk drives (HDD).
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturing parts made from alumina/TiC are formed using a ceramic material in a multi-layer ceramic panel or ceramic tile. Typically the size of the part being manufactured is smaller than the ceramic panel and it is common to form multiple copies of the parts from one ceramic panel. After the parts are formed, the ceramic panel is cut into the distinct parts. It is not uncommon to have over 10,000 individual hard disk drive heads (HDDH) cut from one ceramic panel. A sawing or laser cutting process is employed to cut the ceramic panel into distinct parts. During this cutting step, many times, the ceramic panel can fractures along the edge which has just been cut. The fracturing of the cut edge of ceramic part causes particulates to be dislodged. Accordingly, a need exists for a method of cleaning of the cut parts to remove particulates that may dislodge with time.
The use of cut parts from a ceramic panel with particulates dislodging is especially problematic in hard disk drive (HDD) applications. Particulate contamination can cause failures in the HDD assembly and greatly reduce the life of a HDD. Accordingly a need exists to assure cleanliness or absence of particulates which will assure high quality and reliability when ceramic parts are used for HDD.
One known process for manufacturing of hard disk drive heads (HDD) is a hot pressed sintering process. The material used to form the disk drive heads or “sliders” many times loosens and spills out onto the disk platter in the form of small particles. These particles are on the order of 1-2 microns in diameter. Numerous techniques have been tried to minimize the formation of particles from the HDD. For example, different ways of cutting the wafer include the use of a laser, a laser jet and other techniques. Generally, the standard method is to use diamond-cutting blades to saw the ceramic panel into individual heads. The cut edges of the HDDH are not polished or burnished after the final cuts are made on the ceramic panel in order to reduce the occurrence of particles. As mentioned above, these particles can lead to head crashes, which result in the temporary if not permanent destruction of the entire HDD. Therefore after manufacturing the HDDH are cleaned. Care must be taken not to stress the surface or edge of the ceramic panel cut pieces by techniques such as abrasion or cavitation. Prior art techniques for the cleaning of the HDDH includes compressed air and a cleaning wash. These cleaning techniques are useful but it should be noted they do not completely minimize the occurrences of particulates from becoming dislodged. It is important to note that the particulates being cleaned are typically small, on the order of a few microns. Moreover, it is also possible for the cleaning process to cause additional problems. If the cleaning process is too vigorous or too abrasive, surface damage and future particulate flaking can occur. Accordingly a need exists for a thorough cleaning process of the HDDH that does not promote the formation of dislodged particulates.